We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

This is Henley's only notable poem, but he knocked it out of the park. The poem is constantly quoted. Henley wrote the poem while recovering from a leg amputation while being encouraged to consider losing his remaining leg. He kept the leg. The poem is not about narcissistic damage or dents to puffed up egos in spite of being quoted frequently in these terms today.

"as regards the transforming of the negative command into an attitudinal positive"

Kenneth Burke: One need not be in the literary business long to detect a considerable amout of whistling in the dark here. We don't know the facts of the case, but we shouldn't be surprised to learn that, about this time, the poet had been scaring himself intensely.

Brave words perhaps on the purely secular level as in Frank Sinatra's My Way. But a deeper reading might find it sad, even tragic from this avowed atheist who had Thanks for a good idea for a Sunday post.

Brave words perhaps on the purely secular level as in Frank Sinatra's My Way. But a deeper reading might find it sad, even tragic from this avowed atheist who had no 9ther resourves to depend on but himself. Is that really all that there is? Thanks for a good idea for a Sunday post.

This is considered to be based on the philosophy of Stoicism, which I have decided is a pretty workable way to live. It more or less, basically, is: "Accept reality and deal with it as best you can." The Serenity Prayer is similar:

God grant me/(may I have)
The Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The Courage to change the things I can,
and the Wisdom to know the difference.

In our current overwrought political environment, I wish all of us would read this (above) every day.

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